Ukrainian Cinema Day: 10 Films Worth Watching
Ukrainian Cinema Day 2026: 10 Ukrainian films worth watching, from war documentaries and historical dramas to comedies, animation and independent cinema
Ukrainian cinema today is remarkably diverse. It includes documentaries about the war, historical films, comedies, dramas, animation and independent productions. Many of these films are already known far beyond Ukraine.
Ukrainian Cinema Day is celebrated every year on the second Saturday of September. In 2026, it falls on September 12. The holiday was established in 1996 after the President of Ukraine signed the relevant decree.
This is a good opportunity to remember the films that have become important to Ukrainian cinema in recent years. The selection includes films about the war as well as works with entirely different moods. There is room for family stories, humour, folklore, history and the search for one’s identity.
The war has also strongly influenced Ukrainian cinema. More documentaries, films about occupation and stories about people who have experienced hostilities have appeared.
This is interesting! Read about Ukrainian cinema at the Oscars.
The history of Ukrainian cinema began in the late 19th century. In 1893, engineer Yosyp Tymchenko created an apparatus for recording and reproducing moving images.
The first public film screening in Ukraine took place on December 2, 1896, in Kharkiv. Photographer Alfred Fedetskyi showed short films that he had made in the city.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Ukrainian cinema developed despite censorship. Oleksandr Dovzhenko holds a particularly important place in its history. His films Zvenyhora, Arsenal and Earth became known far beyond Ukraine.
In the 1960s, Ukrainian poetic cinema emerged. This movement included the work of Serhii Paradzhanov, Yurii Illienko, Leonid Osyka and Kira Muratova. One of the best-known films of this period is Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.
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Ukrainian directors also worked in documentary cinema. As early as 1930, Dziga Vertov directed Enthusiasm: The Symphony of Donbas. At the same time, the Soviet system exercised strict control over film production.
A new stage for Ukrainian cinema began in the 2010s. More independent projects appeared, and Ukrainian films began to participate more frequently in international festivals. In 2024, Ukraine won its first Oscar. Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days in Mariupol received the award for Best Documentary Feature.
We recommend reading: 8 Most Famous Contemporary Ukrainian Directors Whose Films Inspire the World.
Director: Mstyslav Chernov. Genre: Documentary.
In February and March 2022, an Associated Press team remained in Mariupol. The journalists filmed the city during the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, when it was under siege.
The film shows the lives of civilians, the work of medics, the consequences of shelling and the destruction of the city. The camera remains close to people even during the most difficult moments. The film received an Oscar and a BAFTA. For Ukrainian cinema, these are among the most important international awards.
Director: Nariman Aliiev.Genre: Drama, road movie.
Mustafa, a Crimean Tatar, travels to Kyiv after the death of his older son. He wants to collect his body and bury him in Crimea according to Muslim traditions.
His younger son Alim joins him on the journey. They have not been close for a long time, so the trip quickly turns into a difficult conversation between father and son.
The film explores Crimea, family, loss and Crimean Tatar identity. Homeward was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Director: Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi. Genre: Crime drama.
The protagonist enters a boarding school for children with hearing impairments. He quickly becomes familiar with the local rules and a rigid hierarchy. The film’s main feature becomes apparent within the first few minutes: the characters do not speak. The film uses Ukrainian Sign Language, with no translation or voice-over explanations.
The Tribe was screened at more than 100 festivals. It received over 40 awards, including three Cannes awards and the European Film Award.
Director: Valentyn Vasyanovych. Genre: Drama, dystopian film.
The story takes place in Donbas in 2025, after the end of the war. The territory has been liberated, but its natural environment has suffered severe damage.
Serhii, a former soldier, works with a mission that searches for and exhumates the dead. His life gradually changes after he meets a volunteer.
The film features many long static shots, little dialogue and almost none of the action usually expected by viewers. It is a film about the consequences of war and the return to life. In 2019, Atlantis won the top prize in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival.
Director: Antonio Lukich. Genre: Comedy, drama.
Sound engineer Vadym gets a chance to move to Canada. To do so, he must record the sounds of rare animals and birds from Zakarpattia.
The task seems simple enough. However, his mother joins the expedition.
The trip quickly turns into a series of awkward and funny situations. Beneath the humour lies a familiar family story about growing up, independence and the complicated relationship between parents and children.
Director: Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk. Genre: Drama, crime film.
Pamfir returns to his native village in Bukovyna after working abroad. In the past, he was involved in smuggling, but now he wants to leave that life behind.
His plans change because of his son’s actions. The man once again finds himself in the world he had tried to escape. Malanka celebrations take place against this backdrop. The film features folk costumes, masks and local traditions. The protagonist’s personal story gradually becomes a story about choice, guilt and the consequences of one’s actions.
Director: Akhtem Seitablaiev. Genre: War drama.
The film is set in 2014, during the defence of Donetsk Airport. At the centre of the story are Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers who find themselves together in extremely difficult conditions.
Each character has a different personality, experience and view of the war. They argue about patriotism, the state, the country’s future and the reasons behind the events unfolding around them. The screenplay was based on real accounts from soldiers who took part in the defence of the airport.
Director: Oles Sanin. Genre: Historical action film.
The film tells the story of Oleksa Dovbush, a famous 18th-century opryshok. At first, he is driven by personal revenge, but his struggle gradually takes on a broader meaning.
The film features Carpathian landscapes, fights, pursuits and large-scale crowd scenes. Particular attention was paid to the costumes and music. Dovbush became one of the largest Ukrainian film projects of recent years.
Directors: Oleh Malamuzh and Oleksandra Ruban. Genre: Animation, fantasy.
The animated film is based on Lesia Ukrainka’s The Forest Song. The main character, Mavka, lives in the forest until one day she meets Lukash, a musician. The creators used Ukrainian myths and folklore while making the story accessible to contemporary viewers.
The film is about love, responsibility and the relationship between people and nature. Mavka: The Forest Song became the highest-grossing Ukrainian film in the global box office.
Director: Antonio Lukich. Genre: Tragicomedy.
Twin brothers from Lubny learn that their father is dying in Luxembourg. One wants to see him, while the other is in no hurry. Eventually, the brothers set off on the journey together. Along the way, old resentments, arguments and plenty of awkward situations resurface.
The film contains plenty of humour, but at its core is a simple family question: what should we do with old grievances, and is it possible to forgive someone who disappeared from our lives long ago? The leading roles were played by members of the band Kurgan & Agregat.
Finding Ukrainian films outside Ukraine is entirely possible. However, catalogues depend on the country because platforms operate under different licensing agreements.
Takflix focuses mainly on Ukrainian auteur, independent and festival cinema. It offers documentaries, short films and works by directors at the beginning of their careers.
MEGOGO has a selection of Ukrainian films, series, cartoons and documentaries. The range of available content may vary depending on the country.
Ukrainian films also appear in Netflix catalogues in different countries from time to time. Titles available on the platform in certain regions have included Pamfir, Mavka: The Forest Song, Klondike, Rhino and others.
SWEET.TV also offers Ukrainian content through a subscription. Before watching, check whether the service is available in your country.
There are a few other things worth checking before paying: whether the film you want is in the catalogue, which subtitles are available and whether the service works on your television or smartphone.
Legal viewing is particularly important in this context. Part of the revenue from screenings goes back to rights holders and creators, helping the Ukrainian film industry work on new projects.
Cinema makes it possible to talk about history not only through dates and textbooks. Films preserve voices, personalities, places, everyday details and people’s personal experiences.
This is especially important for Ukrainian cinema. Directors are returning to subjects that were presented through Soviet censorship for a long time or were excluded from the public sphere altogether. These include the Holodomor, the struggle for independence, the occupation of Crimea, Crimean Tatar culture and the Russian-Ukrainian war.
However, Ukrainian cinema does not end with these topics. My Thoughts Are Silent and Luxembourg, Luxembourg show a very different Ukraine — one of family arguments, awkward humour and everyday problems. Mavka draws on folklore, Dovbush explores history, while
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12 of September 2026
